According to Douglas Sipe, environmental project manager, the intent of the meeting was to collect residents’ questions and concerns, which will be answered later.

Columbia Gas Transmission also provided information on some of the potential environmental impacts, which can be found in documents called Resource Reports on the commission’s website, www.ferc.gov.

Residents gathered at West Chester University’s Sykes Student Union said they were grateful that project representatives from the commission and from Columbia Gas Transmission were making themselves available to the community. Many said they have dealt with easements on their property and the environmental effects of pipelines before, and they all loudly laughed when Sipe said, “This is your land.”

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Some of the environmental concerns raised included possible well-water contamination and the potentially damaging increase of stormwater runoff, especially near Beaver Creek.

According to Peter Santucci, who lives near the creek, plans to remove several trees along the creek for the project would lead to increased flooding. He said newer homes, such as his, were built less than two years ago with underground stormwater runoff pit systems to supplement nearby stormwater basins.

“Beaver Creek is known to flood fairly quickly, and (that) hundred year flood plain has reached my lot many times,” said Greg Decosmo, another area resident.

According to David Spaulding, a longtime area resident, several homes along Beaver Creek were included in the flood plain when the maps were reassessed about five years ago.

“Take away those trees and the odds are pretty good that we’re going to have to pay for flood insurance,” Spaulding said. “And that’s a dramatic impact on our homes.”

Other residents, such as Robin Cree, were also concerned about how tree removal would affect their properties.

Should Columbia acquire a new easement on Cree’s property in Downingtown, it could remove trees that shade his home. And if the pipeline is installed, Cree would be prohibited from planting new taproot trees as replacements.

“It’s not my American dream; it’s my American nightmare,” said David Sweeney, who said he could lose various peach, dogwood and spruce trees as well as butterfly and lilac bushes, several of which were planted by him years ago.

David and his wife, Mary Sweeney, live on a property that includes two pipelines, one of which is owned by Columbia.

Mary said that after researching pipeline accidents, she is now “scared to death of living on my property.” For this reason, she plans to suggest an alternate route for the extension.

According to Ellen Saint Onge, representative for the commission, residents can suggest detailed alternative routes for the project directly to Columbia Gas.

Prior to the pre-filing process, six alternate routes and 19 route variations were considered by Columbia.

“Don’t listen to the first land agent that comes out to your property,” Sipe said. Because the project is still in the pre-filling process, aspects of it, including its path, could change. And if the commission approves the project, it still must receive approval from other government agencies.

Columbia Gas Transmission is in the pre-filing process to attempt to construct an extension to a current pipeline that runs through parts of Chester County. The additional bidirectional branch would travel about 8.8 miles, from Eagle Compression Station in Upper Uwchlan to Downingtown Compression Station in West Bradford. According to Sipe, the pipeline would be carrying methane.

Environmental issues include potential impacts on residences near the project’s right of way, possible effects from multiple pipelines on a single property, tree clearing, erosion and sediment control, and the potential effects the project might have on the area’s water quality.

The meeting is part of the commission’s larger environmental assessment. The assessment presents the environmental impacts the pipeline branch would have, and it will be taken into consideration in the commission’s decision in approving the project.

The assessment also includes the scoping process, during which the commission collects feedback from the public and any interested agencies until July 8.

Columbia, the Fairfax, Va.-based subsidiary of the NiSource Co., is proposing to install a 26-inch diameter pipeline adjacent to an existing line.

The expansion has been termed a “loop” because it connects back to the existing pipeline at both ends. The loop would allow for more gas to be moved through the system.

According to project engineer D.J. Reza, the loop is an engineering solution that would minimize pressure drop along the pipeline, without having to increase the overall pressure.

The project would affect about 180 landowners in its right of way once construction begins. It could intersect through area wetlands and waterways, including the Brandywine Creek, which would be crossed using the horizontal directional drilling method, traveling under the creek, instead of through it.

Comments about the project can be sent to the commission by July 8 either electronically at www.ferc.gov or by mailing them to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St. NE, Room 1A, Washington, D.C., 20426.

About the Author

Sara Mosqueda-Fernandez os the Daily Local News' reporter that covers all things Downingtown and its local school district. A transplant to Chester County, she also keeps an eye on environmental issues in the area. Reach the author at smfernandez@dailylocal.com
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